A pair from Tenuta di Trinoro

These are remarkable wines that are very hard to pigeonhole. On paper, they aren’t really my thing: we are looking at Bordeaux grape varieties, grown in Tuscany, and weighing in at 15.5 and 16% alcohol. And they cost a LOT of money. But they are compelling wines, even though the price tags are hefty indeed.

Andrea Franchetti first planted vines here in the Orica valley in 1992, at altitude. He takes miserly yields from his vines, and his emphasis is on Cabernet Franc and Merlot at the expense of Cabernet Sauvignon. I would love to put the boot into high alcohol Bordeaux variety wines like these, but I can’t, because they are really, really good.